Never Forget You
by mcswarek816
Summary: 5 yrs in the future, Elena wakes up after an accident. She knows who everyone is, but she doesn't realize how their lives have changed.  She's engaged to Stefan, but is drawn to Damon.  Who will she choose when she finally gains her memory? Delena Endgame
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I give credit to RedTailedHawkens for inspiring this with her story Second Chances for the Hart of Dixie fandom. She granted me permission to use her basic idea, so thanks!**

**This story is set several years into the future. Elena has already graduated college, lives in Atlanta, and is engaged to Stefan. She wakes up after a terrible car crash and has no memory of the past few years. Although she recognizes the people in her life, she doesn't realize how they fit into it. Her memory jumps back a few years and she isn't aware that she and Damon aren't even talking to each other at this point in their lives. Endgame for this fiction is Damon and Elena, so please bear with me. **

**Also, everything in the TV show has happened in their history, the characters are themselves; vampires, humans, witches, etc.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the following lyrics from Pearl Jam **_**or**_** the Vampire Diaries. If I did, Ian Somerhalder would be shirtless in every episode!**

"_There in the road, straight ahead _

_A car was stalled, the engine was dead _

_I couldn't stop, so I swerved to the right_

_I'll never forget the sound that night_

_The screamin' tires, the busted glass_

_The painful scream that I heard last"_

Pearl Jam – Last Kiss

In a flash of light, the world ended. Colors sprinted through her mind, a brilliant splash of images of her memories firing off at random. A screeching pierced her ears, leaving nothing but dull silence in its wake. The darkness swirled around her, a starless sky squeezing all of the breath from her lungs. And then… nothing…


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Italics are Elena's thoughts. I apologize, this is going to start out slow as I lay the foundation and set up the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries.**

The darkness is suffocating. There are sounds all around her, buzzing and beeping and causing a pounding her head. It feels as though there are weights holding her eyelids shut. She tries several times to open them, blinking against the harsh blinding light. She tries to speak, but only a hoarse moan escapes. She wets her lips, and attempts to open her eyes one more time and notices a blurry figure before succumbing to sleep once more.

_(Hours later)_

Elena opens her eyes, a dimly lit room coming into focus. She tries to lift her head and grows dizzy, settling back against the pillow. She strains her eyes, trying to see where she is, not understanding her surroundings. A woman's voice to her left speaks softly.

"Welcome back, Elena."

"Whe-," Elena loses her voice. She takes a deep breath and tries again. "Where am I?"

Her heart beat speeds up, and in the back of her mind, she realizes the beeping she hears is keeping time with her heart. She turns her head and sees a nurse standing at her side, holding a clipboard. She looks friendly, her blond hair is pulled back and her blue eyes seem kind when she responds.

"Miss Gilbert, my name is Kay. You've been in an accident. You're in the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. You're fine," she rushes to say, seeing Elena's panic. "You've been here since late last night, and you've been asleep for nearly 14 hours. But you're very lucky to be awake right now, considering the blow you took to the head. Are you in any pain?"

Elena thinks for a moment, biting her lip as she examines herself. "My head is pounding," she tells the nurse.

Kay smiles and reaches over to her IV drip. "Well, that's to be expected. Let me go get the doctor and then we'll adjust your medication after he examines you."

Elena watches Kay leave the room and focuses her eyes on the ceiling. She's trying to remember an accident, but comes up blank. She can't recall anything, actually, and it's scaring her. _What's wrong with me? How did I end up here?_ Elena hears the door open as she tries to sit up again. She fights the wave of nausea as she turns to see who it is.

An older gentlemen walks towards her bed and clears his throat.

"Hello, Miss Gilbert, I'm Dr. Martin. I'm the head neurologist here at Atlanta Medical Center. How are you feeling?" he asks, pulling a pen flashlight from his coat.

"My head hurts," Elena says, simply.

"Well, why don't you lay your head back down and let me take a look, okay?"

Elena nods her head, and a pain shoots through her. She winces and rests her head. Dr. Martin passes the flashlight across both of her eyes. Elena squints at the brightness.

"Please try to keep your eyes open, I know it's painful," he says, analyzing her pupils. He holds up a pointer finger and instructs her to follow it as he moves it back and forth in front of her face.

Dr. Martin seems happy with her reaction time and places his hands back in his pockets.

"Are you having any other symptoms besides a headache and sensitivity to light?" he asks.

"Yes," Elena replies," I feel dizzy too. The room is spinning and it feels like I'm going to be sick."

Dr. Martin nods his head. "All of that is extremely common after a head injury such as yours, Miss Gilbert. Nurse Kay is going to set up some pain meds through your IV and we'll let you get some rest. We'll check on you later and see how you're feeling then. How does that sound?"

"Can you also tell me why I don't remember anything?" Elena asks. Dr. Martin shoots Kay a look and then glances back at her.

"It's possible that your memory will come back with some rest. Perhaps your conscious is protecting you from the memories of the accident. I'm going to prescribe a sedative for you to help you sleep for now. I think the best thing for you right now Miss Gilbert is some rest. Your body needs to heal."

Elena whispers her thanks as she closes her eyes. She sinks deeper into the pillow and tries again to remember what happened before the medication takes over and she falls into a deep sleep.

**Please review! I'd love to know what you think so far, even though not much has happened yet! **


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